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Biomedical subjects

W D Rider

Publications and source records attributed to W D Rider.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bladder cancer: long-term follow-up results of patients treated with radical radiation.

Carcinoma of the bladder is commonly treated for cure with external beam radiation. Whilst short-term results are associated with a good chance of disease control there is little information about the long-term results of such therapy. We present a retrospective review of the Princess Margaret Hospital experience in treating transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and emphasis on the long-term follow-up of patients treated with radiotherapy (XRT). Between 1972 and 1980, 355 patients were treated with a radical course of external beam radiation. The overall survival was 20% at 10 years and the cause-specific survival was 32%. Radiation treatment resulted in a long-term bladder preservation in at least 25% of patients. The majority of long-term survivors without evidence of relapse were patients with T1 (solitary tumours), T2 and T3a tumours. This subgroup represents patients with disease favourable for treatment with radiation. Factors affecting response to the XRT and survival included T stage and tumour bulk. Radiation complications were frequent and were usually associated with local disease recurrence.

Adult

Poor prognosis metastatic gestational trophoblastic disease: experience with moderate dose methotrexate plus folinic acid rescue as initial therapy.

From 1971 to 1981, twenty patients with poor-prognosis metastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) were treated with moderate-dose methotrexate (1 g) and folinic-acid rescue (MD-MTX-FAR) as initial therapy. Seven (35%) were cured with MD-MTX-FAR, and salvage chemotherapy was successful in an additional seven, for a total cure rate of 70%. The ultimate outcome is similar to that reported for MAC triple therapy during this era. Hematologic and mucosal toxicity were negligible and no serious complications were encountered. We now use combination chemotherapy in patients with poor-prognosis GTN as first-line treatment. However, these results suggest that there may be advantages to the incorporation of MD-MTX-FAR in combination regimens in place of low-dose methotrexate, because of reduced toxicity and potential benefits for the prophylaxis and treatment of cerebral metastases.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

Ewing's sarcoma: a trial of adjuvant chemotherapy and sequential half-body irradiation.

The results of a pilot study using adjuvant chemotherapy and sequential half-body irradiation (HBI) for nonmetastatic Ewing's sarcoma are presented. Seventeen patients received Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, and Adriamycin (8 cycles), followed by sequential radiation treatment of the upper (500 cGy) and lower (600 cGy) half body. Survival at 3 years was 49%. These results are contrasted with those for 18 concurrently treated patients who received standard adjuvant therapy. Overall 5-year survival and relapse-free survival for these 35 consecutive patients was 61 and 53%. The pilot protocol was given on an out-patient basis with limited and acceptable acute toxicology. Further study is necessary to determine the value of the pilot protocol.

Adolescent

Myeloproliferative disorders in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with total body irradiation.

Four patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis were treated with total body irradiation administered in two sittings, 300 to 400 rads to each half of the body. All four patients had taken antimetabolites prior to receiving total body irradiation, and two continued to use them after total body irradiation. Two patients had taken alkylating agents before, and one had used them after total body irradiation. All patients showed clinical improvement. However, in two patients myeloproliferative disorders developed: a myelodysplastic preleukemia at 40 months after total body irradiation in one and acute myelogenous leukemia at 25 months in the other. Total body irradiation differs from total nodal irradiation in the total dose of irradiation (300 to 400 rads versus 2,000 to 3,000), and in the duration of the therapy (two sittings versus treatment over several weeks to months). Furthermore, the patients in the total body irradiation study frequently used cytotoxic drugs before and/or after irradiation, whereas in one total nodal irradiation study, azathioprine (2 mg/kg per day or less) was permitted, but no other cytotoxic agents were allowed. Rheumatologists may therefore face a binding decision when deciding to treat a patient with rheumatoid arthritis with either a cytotoxic drug or irradiation.

Aged

Postoperative local abdominal irradiation for cancer of the colon above the peritoneal reflection.

A retrospective analysis of 82 patients with cancer of the colon above the peritoneal reflection who received postoperative local abdominal irradiation was undertaken to assess the survival, patterns of failure, and toxicity of treatment. Forty-eight patients (adjuvant group) had a complete resection, but were felt to be at high risk for local relapse and received postoperative local abdominal irradiation. Thirty-four patients had gross residual disease following surgery. The 5-year actuarial survival and local relapse free survival were 67 and 67%, respectively, in the adjuvant group. In this group, local relapse was observed in 9 of 28 patients with Stage C disease in contrast to 3 of 20 patients with Stage B2 disease; 1 of 14 patients with lesions in the right colon failed locally compared to 11 of 35 patients with lesions in the left. Only 2 of the 34 patients with gross residual disease remained relapse free from 93% of patients having a component of local failure. The majority of the treatment morbidity was seen in patients with gross residual disease. Prospective randomized studies should be done to determine the efficacy of postoperative irradiation in patients with colon carcinoma who are at high risk for local recurrence following surgical resection.

Abdomen

Eye sparing in high energy X ray beams.

Treatment of cancer of the antrum and nasopharynx often includes the radiation of tissues close to an uninvolved eye. One treatment method consists of using an anterior high energy X ray beam directed to the tumor through the eye. To maintain a high dose adjacent to and behind the eye while reducing the entrance dose to the eye, build-up material is placed on the skin and a tunnel cut through to the eye. When the build-up material is tissue-like, the tunnel can be several centimeters in height and scattered radiation from the tunnel walls will largely offset the build-up properties of the beam. Using higher density build-up material, the dose to the superficial layers of the eye can be reduced almost to the limit set by the open beam characteristics. This technique has been used successfully for 8 years.

Eye

Carcinoma of the tonsil: the effect of dose-time-volume factors on local control.

Between 1970 and 1979, 372 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil were treated with primary irradiation therapy, with salvage surgery for failures. The median age was 60 years and the male to female ratio was 2:1. The staging system used was the 1974 UICC TNM system. There were 47 T1 lesions (13%), 161 T2 lesions (43%), and 164 T3 lesions (44%). Regional nodes were not palpable in 173 (46%); 122 had N1 nodes (33%), 6 had N2 nodes (2%) and 71 had N3 nodes (19%). All patients received external beam radiation which was supplemented in 68 patients with a radioactive implant for disease into adjacent tongue. The overall survival for all patients was 38% at 5 years and 54% when corrected for intercurrent disease. Local control was 87% for T1 lesions, 68% for T2 lesions and 50% for T3 lesions. Regional control was 96% for N0, 67% for N1 and 37% for N2-3. A detailed dose-time-volume analysis revealed that increasing volume improved local control in T1 and T2 lesions (77% had local control if the volume was greater than 80 cm2 versus 53% if the volume was less than 80 cm2, p = 0.014), except for T3 lesions. Increasing the dose in the range of 5000 to 6500 rad had no significant effect on primary control in any stage of disease. The addition of a radioactive implant did not increase local control if disease extended into the tongue (57% local control if implant, 52% if no implant). This study demonstrates the significance of adequate treatment volume in local control for carcinoma of the tonsil. No significant dose response was found and subsequent surgery was not compromised when a moderate dose of radiation was used.

Adult

Radical radiation therapy with 5-fluorouracil infusion and mitomycin C for oesophageal squamous carcinoma.

Thirty-five patients with clinically staged non-metastatic squamous carcinoma of the oesophagus were treated with radiation combined with mitomycin C, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FUra) infusion. Twenty patients were planned for a split course regimen 2250-2500 cGy in 10 fractions and chemotherapy. This dose of radiation to be repeated with another course of chemotherapy after 4 weeks rest. Fifteen patients were planned for a single course 4500-5000 cGy in 20 fractions and a single course of chemotherapy. Thirty-one patients are available for a minimum follow-up of one year, 26 patients for a minimum follow-up of 2 years. All 35 patients are included in the survival and local relapse-free analysis. Survival at one year is 47% and at 2 years 28%. The local relapse-free rate at both one and 2 years is 48%. There was an improvement in survival and local relapse-free rate for the single course regimen compared to the split course; 2 years survival 48% versus 12% (p = 0.24) local relapse-free rate 79% versus 27% (p = 0.07). All patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy were compared with historical controls treated by radiation alone. This matching procedure was done independent of knowledge of outcome (two controls were matched/case). Patients were matched for age, sex. TNM stage, and total radiation dose. There was a significant difference in survival p = 0.004 and local relapse-free rate p = 0.05 for patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate.

Twenty-two normal volunteers and 32 patients with either benign prostatic hypertrophy or prostatic carcinoma were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The images were of high quality and clearly demonstrated the prostate gland and the surrounding anatomy but were of limited value in differentiating between benign and malignant prostatic disease. Using a specific pulse sequence, the authors were able to visualize what they believed to be the periprostatic venous plexus and suggest that the demonstration of this venous plexus may be of value in showing extraglandular spread of carcinoma of the prostate.

Aged

Ovarian irradiation and prednisone therapy following surgery and radiotherapy for carcinoma of the breast.

Following mastectomy, patients with operable breast cancer underwent postoperative irradiation of the chest wall and regional lymph nodes. They were then assigned at random to receive no further therapy, ovarian irradiation (2000 rads in 5 days) or ovarian irradiation in the same dosage plus prednisone, 7.5 mg daily. A total of 705 patients received the randomly assigned treatment and were followed for up to 10 years. In premenopausal patients who received ovarian irradiation the recurrence of breast cancer was delayed and survival prolonged, but not significantly. In premenopausal women aged 45 years or more ovarian irradiation plus prednisone therapy significantly delayed the recurrence of breast cancer (P = 0.02) and prolonged survival (P = 0.02); the survival expectancy of these patients was similar to that of the general population of the same age from the third year after the cancer operation. No value was demonstrated for ovarian irradiation with or without prednisone therapy in postmenopausal patients.

Adult

Carcinoma of the esophagus: pretreatment assessment, correlation of radiation treatment parameters with survival, and identification and management of radiation treatment failure.

Between January 1969 and February 1975, 344 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus were managed primarily at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto. One hundred sixty-eight (168) of the patients were treated palliatively and 176 of the patients were treated by radical doses of radiation, surgical resection or both. Survival of the radical treatment group was biphasic, the steeper component being identical to the survival of the palliative treatment group, thereby representing a group of patients that did not respond to radical treatment. Analysis of pretreatment assessment parameters indicated that all patients with T1 lesions (length less than or equal to 5 cm, circumference incomplete) and all patients with Stage I disease responded to treatment. Patients who were female, age greater than or equal to 70 years, N0 or had well differentiated squamous cell histology, responded to treatment in at least 80% of cases. No patient with extralymphatic distant metastases responded to treatment. The presence of other major disease did not affect response to treatment. Thirty patients had surgical resections and their survival was not significantly greater than the 146 patients who had radical radiation alone. Survival analysis revealed an optimum range of nominal standard dose (NSD) of 1602--1714 rets (median 1679 rets) for patients treated by radiation alone. An optimum port size (area) of 100--140 cm2 was observed for patients receiving 5000 rads and supervoltage irradiation gave a significantly improved survival in comparison with megavoltage irradiation. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of patients treated by radical doses or radiation developed esophageal strictures postradiation and on the basis of radiological, endoscopic or histological evidence 75% of these strictures were considered to be associated with the persistence of malignancy. On the basis of postmortem examinations (32) and death certificates there was overall an 80% failure to control the disease locally and 95% of strictures were associated with persistence of malignancy in the esophagus. Thirty-one of the 146 patients receiving radical radiation alone had palliation for esophageal obstruction following radiotherapy. The construction of a physiological bypass (e.g., colon) resulted in a mean survival of 215 days which was much longer than the survival observed with rigid esophageal tubes (35 days) or gastrostomy tubes (58 days).

Aged

The acute radiation syndrome. A memorial to William Michael Court-Brown.

The pattern of symptoms in 189 patients irradiated with a large single dose to one half of the body are described. Radiation sickness developed in 83 and 39% of upper half-body irradiation and lower half-body irradiation treatments respectively and the incidence is not reduced by sedatives or anti-emetics. Following treatment there is a latent period up to 90 min before a phase of acute upset and nausea and vomiting starts. This phase persists for about 6h with an average of six bouts of vomiting and is then followed by recovery.

Antiemetics